(CNN) — A Kansas City, Missouri, jury on Friday acquitted a woman of murder in the shooting death of her lover’s estranged wife, but convicted her of attempted second-degree murder.
The jury of five men and eight women found Bonnie Ross, 54, guilty of attempted second-degree murder after hearing a lengthy and highly emotional case that included texts to her then-lover, “Clyde,” discussing a plan to kill Denise Cline, the widow of Ross’ lover, “Bonnie.”
Cline died on March 18, 2015, after being shot in the back of the head while driving her car near her home, police have said.
In defense of her actions, Ross acknowledged that she spent 12 years in prison for shooting her own husband to death when she was 19, but claimed that Clyde Cline, her then-lover, used her to get back at Denise Cline, CNN affiliate KCTV reported.
The trial began on August 28 and lasted eight days.
Defence attorney Douglas Yanker told the jury in his closing arguments that Ross didn’t intend to kill Cline.
“They shot and killed the wrong woman. Bonnie was never the intended target. Clyde shot at the wrong house,” he said.
Prosecutors: Brutal death was deliberate plan
In their closing arguments, prosecutors showed jurors a map of the Cline family’s home and the intended victim’s car, to stress their point that Ross didn’t intend to shoot Cline when she fired the final shot in the car.
“They didn’t just fire a single shot,” Assistant Missouri Attorney General Matthew Bartoo said, according to KCTV. “They shot two shots. The car stopped in the road, where they could have killed Denise Cline.”
Bartoo said Ross and Clyde planned to kill Cline, even though Cline’s husband, who was a police officer, was called to the scene immediately.
“It is real simple: They planned it. They believed they could get away with it,” Bartoo said.
After a five-day trial in the murder trial, a jury found Ross not guilty of murder, but guilty of attempted second-degree murder. She could receive a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.